RISING costs have added around £50,000 to the cost of a new harbour and fishermen’s store at Lyme Regis harbour.

To reduce the risk of further price rises harbour reserve funds of up to £170,000 are to now be used to avoid any further increases by buying materials as soon as possible.

Work on the replacement building, which was given planning consent in September 2020, is now likely to start in October.

Dorset Council’s harbours committee heard that the £187,000 project should be completed by January when the harbour team has to hand back the building it currently leases as a store to Lyme Regis town council – which want it back to house its tractor and beach cleaning machine.